Munich. The BMW Group’s corporate strategy NUMBER ONE
NEXT defines the main future areas of activity (ACES) for the
iconic change ahead. With the progress made in these key areas and
innovative mobility concepts, the company is consolidating its leading
role in the transformation towards sustainable, individual and
digitalised mobility. A holistic approach to mobility is called for,
with development of tailor-made, unconventional and innovative
solutions for special areas of application. Research projects like BMW
Motorrad X2City or the BMW Vision E³ Way elevated road concept show
how mobility is constantly changing and evolving. New approaches are
needed: With this in mind, the Personal Mover Concept was created – an
electric one-person means of transport for covering short distances
within an operating site.
Challenge.
The task was clear: Employees at BMW Group plants and logistics
centres sometimes cover up to 12 kilometres per day on foot – and
having to carry small parts and work materials often makes it even
harder. Sites such as the BMW Group Research and Innovation Centre in
Munich or the BMW Group plants in Dingolfing and Spartanburg are
sprawling campuses, where many employees have to cover huge distances
to do their jobs.
Experts from the BMW Group Research and Technology House in Garching
took up this challenge, together with the staff who run the BMW
Group’s central aftersales logistics network at the Dingolfing
location. Employees at various sites were surveyed on a random basis
and their needs recorded. Environment analyses were conducted in
parallel and the legal framework, such as site safety guidelines,
taken into account. The findings provided a relatively demanding
profile of requirements for the mobility solution. Richard Kamissek,
head of the Operations Central Aftersales Logistics Network
department, sums up: “It had to be flexible, easy to manoeuvre, zippy,
electric, extremely agile and tilt-proof – and, at the same time,
suitable for carrying objects. The Personal Mover Concept can do all
of this – and is also fun to drive. We hope to start using it as soon
as possible!”
Development.
Research into existing options failed to come up with satisfactory
solutions. Experts from the Research, New Technologies, Innovations
department concluded that only customised in-house development could
provide an adequate solution. To generate creative and unconventional
concept ideas quickly, they used the in-house design thinking format
“think.make.start”, whereby interdisciplinary teams use
agile methods to develop and evaluate ideas and prototypes. The
Personal Mover Concept was born from such a “makerthon”.
Although the initial ideas met all the requirements, they entailed too
much technical and financial effort for simple and straightforward implementation.
Stephan Augustin, who is responsible for special projects in the
Research, New Technologies, Innovations department, together with
Rainer Daude, describes the process: “Based loosely on the motto ‘fail
fast’, we put our heads together again after the makerthon and
radically overhauled the concept. Using the “MakerSpace” of
UnternehmerTUM, a high-tech workshop for inventors and researchers
that is open to the public, we created as simple a prototype as
possible, with the help of dedicated apprentices: It meets all the
main requirements and can be implemented quickly, easily and
inexpensively with the in-house expertise we have.”
Implementation.
The body platform of the Personal Mover Concept is 60 centimetres
wide and 80 centimetres long, so that a person can stand comfortably
on it and still have room for larger, heavy objects. Two wheels at the
rear corners of the platform and two support wheels at the front
ensure that it does not tip over, even in tight bends. The two front
support wheels rotate 360°, which greatly increases manoeuvrability.
The handlebar and drive wheel are sunk into the middle of the body
platform at the front. The handlebar contains the entire electrical
system, the battery and the drive wheel, and can be rotated 90° to the
left and right, allowing the Personal Mover Concept to turn on the
spot. A thumb throttle for regulating speed is integrated into the
right grip. This control is used to start the Personal Mover Concept,
switch the light on and off, select the driving mode or check battery
status. For safety, there is also a bell for warning other employees.
The left grip operates the brake and a dead man’s control.
If not accelerating, the Personal Mover Concept recuperates in a
similar manner to the BMW i3, by feeding released braking energy back
into the battery. The electric drive accelerates up to a maximum of 25
km/h – so it not only moves fast, it is also fun to ride. The
installed cells guarantee a range of about 20-30 kilometres. The
Personal Mover Concept is charged from a regular household socket
using a power adapter. Occupational safety guidelines require a
permanent daytime running light, so an LED front light is mounted on
the handlebar, with two red LED lights integrated into the bumpers at
the rear of the platform for this purpose. The bumpers, basket mount
and handlebar mount covering were all fabricated using two different
additive manufacturing 3D-printing techniques – the familiar FDM
(Fused Deposition Modelling) and a state-of-the-art two-component
Polyjet process.
Dimensions: W 60 x L 80 x H 110 cm
Weight: 20 kg
Speed: max.
25km/h, freely adjustable for different applications
Range: 20-30 km
Turning circle: 1.20 m
Applications.
Five prototypes of the Personal Mover Concept were presented at an
internal international BMW Group aftersales logistics conference and
were very well received. The maximum speed is limited to the 12 km/h
permitted on plant grounds. The range available in normal operation
allows it to be used for a full shift without recharging. The Personal
Mover Concept was designed with deployment at FIZ Future in mind. Once
completed, the campus will extend for about one kilometre from north
to south.
Alexander Brössler, an apprentice at BMW Group Plant Munich, helped
build the five protypes presented: “This was a fantastic opportunity
for apprentices like me to be involved with exciting and innovative
projects outside of our regular training programme and to discover new
manufacturing processes like 3-D printing. It makes me proud to know
that we worked on something that can be used by the BMW Group all over
the world in the future and can make life much easier for our colleagues.”
However, it would also be conceivable for the Personal Mover Concept
to be used outside of BMW Group locations. Initial discussions with
operators of airports, exhibition centres and major shopping centres
have shown that it could also be an attractive solution for
applications of that kind.
Jochen Karg, head of the department Vehicle Concepts Compact Class
and Special Projects: “Our strengths in research, new technologies and
innovations leverage possibilities and methods for structuring new
ideas quickly and developing them all the way to construction of
functional prototypes. As well as meeting customer requirements, our
focus is always on inspiring our customers.”